Slide storage assembly

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a slide storage assembly ( 300 ) having spacer elements ( 100, 200 ) and a slide container ( 301 ), which is embodied to accommodate a stack of at least two slide layers, each slide layer comprising a slide ( 400 ) and at least two of the spacer elements ( 100, 200 ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of German patent application number 102012 208 152.6 filed May 15, 2012, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a slide storage assembly having a slidecontainer and at least one slide spacer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In laser microdissection, small samples are excised from tissue andapplied to specimen slides (e.g. glass slides with or without amembrane, etc.) for further use. Specimen slides of various shapes andsizes are used, which rules out the use of conventional standard-sizeslide containers for further storage and transport. Usually, arelatively small number of slides of a special size have to be storedand transported safely without damaging or contaminating the materialapplied to them and/or the slides themselves. For example, slides with amembrane, of the kind frequently used in laser microdissection, are verypressure-sensitive and should not be touched on the membrane. Forstorage and transport, special slide containers have to be produced,which is a complex and expensive process.

It is desirable to have simple means available for securely storing andtransporting slides, regardless of their dimensions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, a slide storage assembly has a plurality ofspacer elements and a slide container configured to accommodate a stackof at least two slide layers, wherein each slide layer comprises a slideand at least two of the spacer elements. Advantageous embodiments arethe subject the description that follows.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a slide storage assembly with which slides can beeasily and safely stored and transported. The slide storage assemblycomprises a slide container into which the slides can be placed togetherwith spacer elements. The spacer elements ensure a defined alignment ofthe slides with the slide container and with one another. Also differenttypes of slides (i.e. of different shapes and/or sizes) may be placed inthe same slide container, using suitable, optionally different, spacerelements. Both the container and the spacer elements may be producedparticularly easily, rapidly and inexpensively. It is thus also possibleto provide a safe and reliable storage and transport option for arelatively small number of slides simply and cheaply.

The slide storage assembly is configured so that the slide containerholds a stack of several layers, each layer consisting of a slide and atleast two associated spacer element. Depending on the embodiment,preferably exactly or at least two, three or four spacer elements willbe sufficient per layer to hold the slide securely in the slidecontainer. Usually, not more than six or eight spacer elements will benecessary per layer to hold the slide. Preferably the spacer elements ofadjacent layers in a stack are in contact with one another, i.e. areplaced on top of one another.

According to a preferred embodiment, the slide container is a cuboid orcylindrical container, having a continuous interior with nocompartments, which is particularly made of plastics. A spacer elementmay preferably be embodied as a cuboid with an inwardly projecting edgeor corner, particularly of plastics. The slide storage assembly isexpediently embodied such that the inwardly projecting edge or cornerdelimits a support surface for a slide placed therein. Containers andspacer elements of this kind are particularly simple and cheap toproduce. E.g. for accommodating rectangular slides, each slide layer maycomprise the slide and exactly four spacer elements with inwardlyprojecting corners. The depth of the inwardly projecting edge or cornerdefines a support surface for the slide, the height of the inwardlyprojecting edge or corner defines an upward spacing. It is dimensionedso as to be taller than the height (“thickness”) of a slide to be storedtherein.

The present invention has the particular advantage that slides ofdifferent shapes and sizes can be stored and transported particularlyeasily by the provision of different spacers and/or slide containers inslide storage assemblies according to the invention. The slide storageassemblies according to the invention are particularly suitable forsmall numbers of slides, particularly ranging from two to ten.

Further features and embodiments of the invention will become apparentfrom the description and the attached drawings.

It will be understood that the features mentioned hereinbefore and thosestill to be described hereinafter may be used not only in the particularcombination specified but also in other combinations or on their own,without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The invention is schematically illustrated in the drawings by means ofan embodiment by way of example and is hereinafter described in detailwith reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING VIEWS

FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of a spacer element of a slidestorage assembly according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a second preferred embodiment of a spacer element of aslide storage assembly according to the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of a slide storage assemblyaccording to the invention having a slide container in which a pluralityof layers comprising spacer elements and slides are placed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of a spacer element 100 inperspective view. The spacer element consists of a cuboid 110,particularly made of plastics, with an inwardly projecting edge 120. Theedge 120 delimits a support surface 121 which serves as a supportsurface for a slide. The edge 120 further delimits an abutment surface122, which serves as an outer abutment surface for a slide lying on thesupport surface 121.

A height h of the abutment surface 122 is expediently at least the sameheight as a thickness d of a slide 400 to be accommodated, so thatstacked spacer elements also rest on one another and not on the slides.A height h_(s) of the step remaining determines the distance betweenstacked slides 400. This height h_(s) is always greater than thethickness or height of the object on the slide (minus the differencebetween h and d). The stack surfaces are defined by an upper side 111and an underside 112 of the spacer element, which come to rest on oneanother when the spacer elements are stacked.

The spacer element 200 according to FIG. 2 corresponds in its essentialfunctions to the spacer element 100 according to FIG. 1. Only, insteadof the edge 120, it comprises an inwardly projecting corner 220, whichdelimits a support surface 221 and two abutment surfaces 222.

The spacer element 200 expediently serves to accommodate one corner of aslide, whereas the spacer element 100 expediently serves to accommodateone edge of a slide.

FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of a slide storage assembly 300according to the invention in which, for reasons of greater clarity, notall the corners and edges of the slides and spacer elements are shown.

The slide storage assembly 300 comprises a cuboid slide container 301made of plastics, in which four layers of slides 400 with associatedspacer elements 100, 200 are stacked. The slide container 301 and thespacer elements 100, 200 are of such dimensions that the slide 400 to beaccommodated fits precisely into the recesses provided by the abutmentsurfaces 121 of the spacer elements 100, 200 inside the slide container301.

The vertical extent (i.e. perpendicular to the layers) of a spacerelement is greater than the vertical extent of the slide in the samelayer, so that the spacer elements prevent the slides 400 from touchingone another. The horizontal extent (i.e. in the plane of the layer) of aspacer element is preferably less than the horizontal extent of theslide in the same layer, as only individual points of a slide have to besupported.

The slides 400 are thus firmly and securely held in the slide storageassembly 300, with the result that, in particular, tissue samplesdeposited on the slides 400 remain undamaged.

What is claimed is:
 1. A slide storage assembly (300) comprising: aplurality of spacer elements (100, 200); and a slide container (301)configured to accommodate a stack of at least two slide layers, whereineach slide layer comprises a slide (400) and at least two of the spacerelements (100, 200).
 2. The slide storage assembly (300) according toclaim 1, wherein the at least two spacer elements (100, 200) of a slidelayer each comprise a support surface (121) on which the slide (400) ofthe slide layer rests.
 3. The slide storage assembly (300) according toclaim 2, wherein each spacer element of the at least two spacer elements(100, 200) of a slide layer comprises an abutment surface (122)extending perpendicularly to the support surface (121), wherein saidabutment surface is configured to space the slide (400) of the slidelayer from the slide container (301).
 4. The storage assembly (300)according to claim 3, wherein at least one spacer element of the atleast two spacer elements (100, 200) of a slide layer comprises twoabutment surfaces (122) extending perpendicular to the support surface(121), said two abutment surfaces being configured to space the slide(400) of the slide layer from the slide container (301).
 5. The slidestorage assembly (300) according to claim 1, wherein at least one spacerelement of the at least two spacer elements (100, 200) has an inwardlyprojecting edge (120)
 6. The slide storage assembly (300) according toclaim 1, wherein at least one spacer element of the at least two spacerelements (100, 200) has an inwardly projecting corner (220).
 7. Theslide storage assembly (300) according to claim 1, wherein at least oneslide layer of the at least two slide layers comprises the slide (400)and four spacer elements (200) each having an inwardly projecting edge(120).
 8. The slide storage assembly (300) according to clam 1, whereineach spacer element of the at least two spacer elements (100, 200)includes a planar upper side (111) and a planar underside (112).
 9. Theslide storage assembly (300) according to claim 8, wherein a spacerelement (100, 200) of a first slide layer of the at least two slidelayers abuts with its underside (112) on the upper side (111) of aspacer element (100, 200) of a second slide layer of the at least twoslide layers located underneath the first slide layer in the stack. 10.The slide storage assembly (300) according to claim 8, wherein the slidecontainer (301) includes a base, and a spacer element (100, 200) of alowermost slide layer of the at least two slide layers abuts with itsunderside (112) on the base of the slide container (301).
 11. The slidestorage assembly (300) according to claim 1, wherein each slide layer ofthe at least two slide layers comprises exactly two spacer elements(100, 200).
 12. The slide storage assembly (300) according to claim 1,wherein each slide layer of the at least two slide layers comprisesexactly three spacer elements (100, 200).
 13. The slide storage assembly(300) according to claim 1, wherein each slide layer of the at least twoslide layers comprises exactly four spacer elements (100, 200).
 14. Theslide storage assembly (300) according to claim 1, wherein at least oneof the at least two slide layers comprises a slide (400) of a first kindand at least one other of the at least two slide layers comprises aslide (400) of a second kind different from the first kind.
 15. Theslide storage assembly (300) according to claim 1, wherein the slidecontainer (301) is configured to accommodate stacks of at most ten slidelayers.
 16. The slide storage assembly (300) according to claim 1,wherein the slide container (301) is configured to accommodate stacks ofat most eight slide layers.
 17. The slide storage assembly (300)according to claim 1, wherein the slide container (301) is configured toaccommodate stacks of at most five slide layers.
 18. The slide storageassembly (300) according to one claim 1, wherein the slide container(301) is configured as a cuboid or cylindrical container having acontinuous interior.
 19. The slide storage assembly (300) according toclaim 1, wherein a vertical extent of each spacer element of the atleast two spacer elements (100, 200) of a slide layer is greater than avertical extent of the slide (400) of the same slide layer.
 20. Theslide storage assembly (300) according to claim 1, wherein a horizontalextent of each spacer element of the at least two spacer elements (100,200) of a slide layer is less than a horizontal extent of the slide(400) of the same slide layer.